Building Blocks for Competency Models

Employment and Training Administration United States Department of Labor www.doleta.gov

Building Blocks for Competency Models

Employment and Training Administration United States Department of Labor www.doleta.gov 2

Tier 1

Personal Effectiveness Competencies

Interpersonal Skills

Demonstrating sensitivity/empathy – Shows sincere interest in others and their concerns, and

demonstrates sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others; helps others resolve sensitive

interpersonal problems as appropriate; looks for ways to help people, and pitches in to help

others.

Demonstrating insight into behavior – Recognizes and accurately interprets the verbal and

nonverbal behavior of others; shows insight into the actions and motives of others, and

recognizes when relationships with others are strained.

Maintaining open relationships – Maintains open lines of communication with others;

encourages others to approach them with problems and successes; establishes a high degree

of trust and credibility with others.

Respecting diversity – Demonstrates sensitivity and respect for the opinions, perspectives,

customs and individual differences of others; promotes and strives to create a workforce and

environment that represents and values diversity of people and ideas.

Working with diverse people – Is flexible and open-minded when dealing with a wide range

of people; listens to and considers others’ viewpoints and alters opinion when it is

appropriate to do so; works well and develops effective relationships with highly diverse

personalities.

Learning about other cultures – Takes action to learn about and understand the climate,

orientation, needs, and values of other groups, organizations, or cultures; willingly adjusts

behavior or appearance as necessary to show respect for others’ values and customs.

Integrity

Behaving ethically – Abides by a strict code of ethics and behavior; chooses an ethical

course of action and does the right thing, even in the face of opposition; encourages others to

behave accordingly.

Acting fairly – Treats others with honesty, fairness and respect; makes decisions that are

objective and reflect the just treatment of others.

Taking responsibility – Takes responsibility for accomplishing work goals within accepted

timeframes; accepts responsibility for one’s decisions and actions and for those of one’s

group, team, or department; attempts to learn from mistakes.


Professionalism

Demonstrating self-control – Demonstrates self-control by maintaining composure and

keeping emotions in check even in very difficult situations; deals calmly and effectively with

stressful situations.

Professional appearance – Maintains a professional demeanor; dresses appropriately for

occupation and its requirements; maintains appropriate personal hygiene;

Substance abuse – is free from substance abuse.

Maintains a positive attitude – Projects a professional image of oneself and the organization;

demonstrates a positive attitude towards work; takes pride in one’s work and the work of the

organization.

Initiative

Persisting – Pursues work with energy, drive, and a strong accomplishment orientation;

persists and expends extra effort to accomplish tasks even when conditions are difficult or

deadlines are tight; persists at a task or problem despite interruptions, obstacles, or setbacks.

Taking initiative – Goes beyond the routine demands of the job; takes initiative in seeking

out new work challenges and increasing the variety and scope of one’s job; seeks

opportunities to influence events and originate action; assists others who have less experience

or have heavy workloads.

Setting challenging goals – Establishes and maintains personally challenging but realistic

work goals; exerts effort toward task mastery; brings issues to closure by pushing forward

until a resolution is achieved.

Working independently – Develops own ways of doing things; is able to perform effectively

even with minimal direction, support or approval and without direct supervision.

Achievement motivation – Intrinsically driven to succeed and excel; strives to exceed

standards and expectations; exhibits confidence in capabilities and an expectation to succeed

in future activities.

Dependability & Reliability

Fulfilling obligations – Behaves consistently and predictably; is reliable, responsible and

dependable in fulfilling obligations; diligently follows through on commitments and

consistently meets deadlines.


Showing up on time – Demonstrates regular and punctual attendance; rarely is late for

meetings or appointments.

Attending to details – Diligently checks work to ensure that all essential details have been

considered; notices errors or inconsistencies that others have missed, and takes prompt,

thorough action to correct errors.

Complying with policies – Follows written and verbal directions; complies with

organizational rules, policies and procedures.

Willingness to Learn

Demonstrating an interest in learning – Demonstrates an interest in personal learning and

development; seeks feedback from multiple sources about how to improve and develop, and

modifies behavior based on feedback or self-analysis of past mistakes.

Participating in training – Takes steps to develop and maintain knowledge, skills, and

expertise necessary to achieve positive results; participates fully in relevant training

programs and actively pursues other opportunities to develop knowledge and skills.

Anticipating changes in work – Anticipates changes in work demands and searches for and

participates in assignments or training that address these changing demands; treats

unexpected circumstances as opportunities to learn.

Identifying career interests – Takes charge of personal career development by identifying

occupational interests, strengths, options and opportunities; makes insightful career planning

decisions based on integration and consideration of others’ feedback, and seeks out

additional training to pursue career goals.

Tier 2

Academic Competencies

Reading

Comprehension – Locates, understands, and interprets written information in prose and in

documents such as manuals, reports, memos, letters, forms, graphs, charts, tables, calendars,

schedules, signs, notices, applications and directions; understands the purpose of written

materials; attains meaning and comprehends core ideas.

Attention to detail – Identifies main ideas; notes details and facts; detects inconsistencies;

identifies implied meaning and details; identifies missing information; identifies trends.


Integration – Critically evaluates and analyzes information in written materials; integrates

and synthesizes information from multiple written materials.

Application – Integrates what is learned from written materials with prior knowledge;

applies what is learned from written material to follow instructions and complete specific

tasks; applies what is learned from written material to future situations.

Writing

Organization and development – Creates documents such as letters, directions, manuals,

reports, graphs, and flow charts; communicates thoughts, ideas, information, messages and

other written information, which may contain technical material, in a logical, organized and

coherent manner; ideas are well developed with supporting information and examples.

Mechanics – Uses standard syntax and sentence structure; uses correct spelling, punctuation,

and capitalization; uses appropriate grammar (e.g., correct tense, subject-verb agreement, no

missing words).

Tone – Writes in a manner appropriate for business; uses language appropriate for the target

audience; uses appropriate tone and word choice (e.g., writing is professional and courteous).

Mathematics

Quantification – Reads and writes numbers; counts and places numbers in sequence;

recognizes whether one number is larger than another.

Computation – Adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides with whole numbers, fractions,

decimals, and percents; calculates averages, ratios, proportions and rates; converts decimals

to fractions; converts fractions to percents.

Measurement and estimation – Takes measurements of time, temperature, distances, length,

width, height, perimeter, area, volume, weight, velocity, and speed; uses and reports

measurements correctly; converts from one measurement to another (e.g., from English to

metric).

Application – Performs basic math computations accurately; translates practical problems

into useful mathematical expressions and uses appropriate mathematical formulas and

techniques.

Science & Technology

Comprehension – Understands basic scientific principles and to use commonly available

technology; understands the scientific method (i.e., identifies problems, collects information,


forms opinions and draws conclusions); understands overall intent and proper procedures for

set-up and operation of equipment.

Application – Applies basic scientific principles and technology to complete tasks.

Communication – Listening & Speaking

Speaking – Expresses information to individuals or groups taking into account the audience

and the nature of the information (e.g., technical or controversial); speaks clearly and

confidently; information is organized in a logical manner; speaks using common English

conventions including proper grammar, tone and pace; tracks audience responses and reacts

appropriately to those responses; effectively uses eye contact and non-verbal expression.

Listening – Receives, attends to, interprets, understands, and responds to verbal messages

and other cues; picks out important information in verbal messages; understands complex

instructions; appreciates feelings and concerns of verbal messages.

Two-way communication – Practices meaningful two-way communication (i.e., speaks

clearly, pays close attention and seeks to understand others, listens attentively and clarifies

information); attends to nonverbal cues and responds appropriately.

Persuasion/Influence – Influences others; persuasively presents thoughts and ideas; gains

commitment and ensures support for proposed ideas.

Critical & Analytic Thinking

Reasoning – Possesses sufficient inductive and deductive reasoning ability to perform job

successfully; critically reviews, analyzes, synthesizes, compares and interprets information;

draws conclusions from relevant and/or missing information; understands the principles

underlying the relationship among facts and applies this understanding when solving

problems.

Mental agility – Identifies connections between issues; quickly understands, orients to, and

learns new assignments; shifts gears and changes direction when working on multiple

projects or issues. [is this part of critical thinking]

Active Learning

Learning strategies – Applies a range of learning techniques to acquire new knowledge and

skills; processes and retains information; identifies when it is necessary to acquire new

knowledge and skills.


Application – Integrates newly learned knowledge and skills with existing knowledge and

skills; uses newly learned knowledge and skills to complete specific tasks; uses newly

learned knowledge and skills in new or unfamiliar situations.

Basic Computer Skills

Comprehending the basics – Understands and efficiently uses basic computer hardware

(e.g. PCs, printers) and software (e.g. word processing software, spreadsheet software) to

perform tasks; understands common computer terminology (e.g., program, operating

system) and is familiar with the fundamental capabilities of computers.

Entering data – Enters data into computer files quickly, with an acceptable degree of

accuracy; double checks data entry carefully; notices when data are missing or look

wrong and takes steps to ensure computer files are complete and accurate.

Preparing documents – Uses word processing programs to create, edit, and retrieve

document files; types materials quickly and accurately; checks work carefully and

identifies/corrects typographical errors; uses basic reference materials and tools (e.g.,

spell check) to ensure accuracy.

Tier 3

Workplace Competencies

Teamwork

Acknowledging team membership and role – Accepts membership in the team; shows

loyalty to the team; determines when to be a leader and when to be a follower depending on

what is needed to achieve the team’s goals and objectives; encourages others to express their

ideas and opinions; identifies and draws upon team members’ strengths and weaknesses to

achieve results; learns from other team members.

Establishing productive relationships – Develops constructive and cooperative working

relationships with others; exhibits tact and diplomacy and strives to build consensus; shows

sensitivity to the thoughts and opinions of other team members; delivers constructive

criticism and voices objections to others’ ideas and opinions in a supportive, non-accusatory

manner; responds appropriately to positive and negative feedback.

Identifying with the team and its goals – Identifies the goals, norms, values, and customs of

the team; is a team player and contributes to the group’s effort; uses a group approach to

identify problems and develop solutions based on group consensus; effectively

communicates with all members of the group or team to achieve team goals and objectives.

Resolving conflicts – Brings others together to reconcile differences; handles conflicts

maturely by exercising “give and take” to achieve positive results for all parties; reaches


formal or informal agreements that promote mutual goals and interests, and obtains

commitment to those agreements from individuals or groups.

Adaptability & Flexibility

Employing unique analyses – Employs unique analyses and generates new, innovative ideas

in complex areas; integrates seemingly unrelated information to develop creative solutions;

develops innovative methods of obtaining or using resources when insufficient resources are

available.

Entertaining new ideas – Is open to considering new ways of doing things; actively seeks

out and carefully considers the merits of new approaches to work; willingly embraces new

approaches when appropriate and discards approaches that are no longer working.

Dealing with ambiguity – Takes effective action when necessary without having to have all

the necessary facts in hand; easily changes gears in response to unpredictable or unexpected

events, pressures, situations and job demands; effectively changes plans, goals, actions or

priorities to deal with changing situations.

Customer Focus

Understanding customer needs – Demonstrates a desire to understand customer needs;

listens to what customers are saying and asks questions as appropriate; demonstrates

awareness of client goals.

Providing personalized service – Provides prompt, efficient and personalized assistance to

meet the requirements, requests, and concerns of customers; provides thorough, accurate

information to answer customers’ questions and inform them of commitment times or

performance guarantees; actively looks for ways to help customers by identifying and

proposing appropriate solutions and/or services; establishes boundaries as appropriate for

unreasonable customer demands.

Acting professionally – Is pleasant, courteous and professional when dealing with internal or

external customers; develops constructive and cooperative working relationships with

customers, and displays a good-natured, cooperative attitude; is calm and empathetic when

dealing with hostile customers.

Keeping customers informed – Follows up with customers during projects and following

project completion; keeps clients up to date about decisions that affect them; seeks the

comments, criticisms and involvement of customers; adjusts services based on customer

feedback.

Planning & Organizing


Planning – Approaches work in a methodical manner; plans and schedules tasks so that

work is completed on time; keeps track of details to ensure work is performed accurately and

completely.

Prioritizing – Prioritizes various competing tasks and performs them quickly and efficiently

according to their urgency; finds new ways of organizing work area or planning work to

accomplish work more efficiently.

Allocating resources – Estimates resources needed for project completion; allocates time and

resources effectively and coordinates efforts with all affected parties; keeps all parties

informed of progress and all relevant changes to project timelines.

Anticipating obstacles – Anticipates obstacles to project completion and develops

contingency plans to address them; takes necessary corrective action when projects go off-

track.

Creative Thinking

Generating innovative solutions – Uses information, knowledge, and beliefs to generate

original, innovative solutions to problems; reframes problems in a different light to find fresh

approaches; entertains wide-ranging possibilities others may miss; takes advantage of

difficult or unusual situations to develop unique approaches and useful solutions.

Seeing the big picture – Has broad knowledge and perspective; pieces together seemingly

unrelated data to identify patterns and trends and to see a bigger picture; understands the

pieces of a system as a whole and appreciates the consequences of actions on other parts of

the system; possesses a big-picture view of the situation.

Problem Solving & Decision-Making

Identifying the problem – Anticipates or recognizes the existence of a problem; identifies the

true nature of the problem by analyzing its component parts; uses all available reference

systems to locate and obtain information relevant to the problem; recalls previously learned

information that is relevant to the problem.

Locating, gathering, and organizing relevant information – Effectively uses both internal

resources (e.g., internal computer networks, company filing systems) and external resources

(e.g., internet search engines) to locate and gather information; examines information

obtained for relevance and completeness; recognizes important gaps in existing information

and takes steps to eliminate those gaps; organizes/reorganizes information as appropriate to

gain a better understanding of the problem.


Generating alternatives – Integrates previously learned and externally obtained information

to generate a variety of high-quality alternative approaches to the problem; skillfully uses

logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses, the costs and benefits, and the

short- and long-term consequences of different approaches.

Choosing a solution – Decisively chooses the best solution after contemplating available

approaches to the problem; makes difficult decisions even in highly ambiguous or ill-defined

situations; quickly chooses an effective solution without assistance when appropriate.

Implementing the solution – Commits to a solution in a timely manner, and develops a

realistic approach for implementing the chosen solution; observes and evaluates the

outcomes of implementing the solution to assess the need for alternative approaches and to

identify lessons learned.

Working with Tools & Technology

Selecting tools – Selects and applies appropriate tools or technological solutions to

frequently encountered problems; carefully considers which tools or technological solutions

are appropriate for a given job, and consistently chooses the best tool or technological

solution for the problem at hand.

Keeping current – Demonstrates an interest in learning about new and emerging tools and

technologies; seeks out opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that

may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity.

Troubleshooting – Learns how to maintain and troubleshoot tools and technologies.

Workplace Computer Applications

Keyboarding and word processing – Skillfully uses word-processing software;

streamlines document processing by employing a variety of common software functions;

uses correct style and format, even when confronted by uncommon requirements that

deviate from standard guides; consults appropriate manuals when uncertain about the

correct style and format.

Internet applications – Effectively uses the internet and web-based tools to manage basic

workplace tasks (e.g., timekeeping, maintaining employee records, conducting

information searches); understands and performs internet functions requiring the use of

log-in and password information; is aware of company guidelines surrounding internet

usage and complies with those guidelines.

E-mailing – Composes professional e-mails to communicate business-related information

to coworkers, colleagues, and customers; understands the company e-mail system and its

basic functions (e.g., replying to/forwarding messages, using electronic address books,


attaching files); ensures that key stakeholders are kept informed of communications by

copying (i.e., “CCing”) them on important e-mails when appropriate.

Spreadsheets – Uses spreadsheet software to enter, manipulate, edit and format text and

numerical data; effectively creates and saves worksheets, charts, and graphs that are well

organized, attractive, and useful.

Scheduling and Coordinating

Arranging – Makes arrangements (e.g. for traveling, meetings) that fulfill all

requirements as efficiently and economically as possible; handles all aspects of

arrangements thoroughly and completely with little or no supervision.

Informing – Responds to the schedules of others affected by arrangements; informs others

of arrangements, giving them complete, accurate and timely information; insures that

others receive needed materials in time.

Verifying – Takes steps to verify all arrangements; recognizes problems, generates

effective alternatives, and takes corrective action.

Coordinating in distributed environments – Coordinates schedules of colleagues, co-

workers, and clients in regional locations (i.e., across time zones) to ensure that

inconvenience is minimized and productivity is enhanced; leverages technology (e.g.,

internet, teleconference) to facilitate information sharing in distributed work

environments; takes advantage of team member availability throughout business hours in

multiple time zones to enhance productivity.

Shiftwork – Effectively coordinates the transition of employees at the beginning and end

of each work shift; disseminates crucial information in an organized manner to rapidly

bring employees up to speed at the start of their shifts; ensures that employees are

updated on work completed on past shifts and work that still needs to be completed.

Checking, Examining & Recording

Detecting errors – Detects and corrects errors, even under time pressure; notices errors or

inconsistencies; forwards or processes forms in a timely and accurate manner.

Completing forms – Selects and completes appropriate forms quickly and completely;

attends to and follows through on important information in paperwork; expedites forms,

orders or advances that require immediate attention.

Obtaining information – Obtains appropriate information, signatures and approvals

promptly; verifies that all information is present and accurate before forwarding

materials.


Maintaining logs – Keeps logs, records and files that are up-to-date and readily

accessible; updates logs, files and records, noting important changes in status.

Business Fundamentals

Situational awareness – Understands the organization’s mission and functions;

recognizes one’s role in the functioning of the company and understands the potential

impact one’s own performance can have on the success of the organization; grasps the

potential impact of the company’s well-being on employees.

Business ethics – Demonstrates respect for coworkers, colleagues, and customers; acts in

the best interest of the company, the community, and the environment; complies with

applicable laws and rules governing work and reports loss, waste, or theft or company

property to appropriate personnel.

Market knowledge – Understands market trends in the industry and the company’s

position in the market; knows who the company’s primary competitors are, and stays

current on organizational strategies to maintain competitiveness.

Tier 6

Occupation-Specific Knowledge Areas

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource

allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and

coordination of people and resources.

Biology

Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies,

and interactions with each other and the environment.

Building and Construction

Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of

houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

Chemistry

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Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the

chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals

and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Clerical

Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing,

managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office

procedures and terminology.

Communications and Media

Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and

methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual

media.

Computers and Electronics

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer

hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This

includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of

customer satisfaction.

Design

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision

technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Economics and Accounting

Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets,

banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Education and Training

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and

instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Engineering and Technology

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Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes

applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of

various goods and services.

English Language

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and

spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Fine Arts

Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works

of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

Food Production

Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food

products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

Foreign Language

Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the

meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

Geography

Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air

masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution

of plant, animal, and human life.

History and Archeology

Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and

cultures.

Law and Government

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations,

executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Mathematics

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their

applications.





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Mechanical

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Medicine and Dentistry

Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries,

diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and

interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

Personnel and Human Resources

Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training,

compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information

systems.

Philosophy and Theology

Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic

principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human

culture.

Physics

Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and

applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical,

electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.

Production and Processing

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other

techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Psychology

Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability,

personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the

assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Public Safety and Security



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Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective

local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and

institutions.

Sales and Marketing

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or

services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales

techniques, and sales control systems.

Sociology and Anthropology

Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human

migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Telecommunications

Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of

telecommunications systems.

Therapy and Counseling

Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and

rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Transportation

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road,

including the relative costs and benefits.

Tier 9

Management Competencies

Monitoring & Controlling Resources

Identifying resources – Continually seeks to identify resources (e.g. staffing, training and

monetary resources), both internal and external, that can be useful to unit and assist in work

accomplishment; proactively works to secure additional resources for work unit.

Informing – Develops strategic plans for making a wide array of resources available; ensures

that knowledge of those resources is spread throughout organization.


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Monitoring – Develops strategic plans to anticipate future resource needs, and accurately

identifies, tracks and prioritizes existing resource needs; monitors resource availability and

makes contingency plans to ensure the availability of adequate resources in the event of

unforeseen circumstances.

Creating efficiencies – Consistently seeks to perform work unit tasks in a cost efficient

manner; identifies ways to produce the same level and quality of work while utilizing fewer

resources; creates an organizational climate in which cost effectiveness is valued and

rewarded.

Preparing & Evaluating Budgets

Gathering information – Studies all relevant budget material and anticipates future needs by

gathering data on forthcoming plans; ensures that budget proposals incorporate all elements;

translates organizational objectives, priorities, and analysis of current resources into accurate

budget proposals.

Preparing – Prepares highly accurate and precise estimates of costs; obtains the most recent

cost estimates from vendors or catalogs.

Ensuring accuracy – Recognizes and corrects misstatements or errors of omission in budget

proposals; effectively consolidates budget requests and proposals of multiple units.

Ensuring completeness – Prepares budget justifications and proposals that reflect the needs

of the office; submits proposals that are thorough and accurate, and that receive management

acceptance with little or no questioning.

Staffing

Planning – Effectively engages in staff planning and helps to ensure that work unit is

appropriately staffed to accomplish its goals; anticipates obstacles to staff planning, such as

shifting economic and political climates, and makes appropriate contingency plans for these

possibilities.

Identifying required skills – Accurately and comprehensively identifies candidate skills

needed to perform in vacant positions.

Assessing qualifications – Assesses candidate qualifications thoroughly and accurately,

recognizing and hiring /promoting those who possess the skills needed to fulfill vacant

positions.

Managing Conflict & Team Building


Gathering information – Identifies sources of conflicts, and provides parties with an

opportunity to express their point of view; remains impartial in gathering and verifying

information relevant to the conflict.

Encouraging resolution – Makes healthy use of conflict and disagreement to promote

learning and expand team perspectives; encourages parties to work together towards problem

resolution; works with parties to identify a range of acceptable solutions; when appropriate,

proposes effective compromises that satisfy some of each parties’ needs; ensures mutual

commitment to a solution.

Discouraging unproductive behavior – Expresses concern for improving relations among

team members; explains how dispute is affecting others; discourages non-productive

behavior such as threats, insults, stereotyping or exaggerations.

Building cooperative teams – Encourages and builds mutual trust, respect and cooperation

among team members; seizes opportunities and utilizes creative methods to build team

cooperation and cohesion.

Clarifying Roles & Objectives

Explaining job duties – Clearly explains job duties, responsibilities and priorities; informs

employees of the work for which they will be responsible for and helps them establish

priorities; checks to ensure that employees understand duties and responsibilities.

Instructing – Provides instruction on how to accomplish an assignment; explains correct and

incorrect ways to accomplish tasks; provides timely and effective feedback about whether

task is being performed correctly.

Setting performance goals – Helps employees set performance goals; in consultation with

employees, sets goals that are clear, specific and attainable; informs employees of deadlines

for goal attainment.

Linking tasks to organizational objectives – Explains relationship between individual work

tasks and overall organizational objectives; continually rethinks job duties and responsibilities

as organizational objectives shift, and communicates new roles and responsibilities to

employees as appropriate.

Monitoring Work

Identifying performance criteria – Identifies work-related performance criteria that need to

be measured for individual and team performance, and determines a means of measuring

these criteria.


Measuring progress – Measures progress against timelines set for performance of tasks; asks

questions of subordinates and team members to check for problems in work processes;

encourages subordinates and team members to report problems and mistakes by creating a

non-threatening environment for discussion of problems.

Reviewing work – Conducts frequent progress review meetings with subordinates and team

members to discuss progress and any barriers to progress; conducts after-reviews upon task

completion to identify lessons learned and generate ideas for more effective task completion

in the future.

Soliciting feedback – Solicits feedback from multiple sources during and following task

completion to ensure employee tasks are performed correctly, and to learn how employee and

team performance can be improved; conscientiously monitors downstream consequences of

work to ensure tasks are completed correctly and have intended consequences.

Informing

Gathering and disseminating – Continually gathers data from diverse sources to determine

what information employees need to perform their work; disseminates information to

employees in a timely, efficient manner.

Keeping employees informed – Keeps employees well-informed through a variety of means,

including productive and informative group and individual meetings and targeted written

communications; highlights important information in communications and avoids flooding

employees with irrelevant information.

Updating information – Monitors internal and external environments to determine if

additional information is required for employees to perform tasks; informs employees when

changes occur that affect them and distributes updated information when necessary; provides

information to peers and subordinates in a timely way that maintains cooperative relationships

among people.

Delegating

Delegating efficiently – Efficiently delegates tasks so that organizational goals are met

within established timelines; delegates tasks that are not central to the leader’s role and which

allow the leader to use his/her time more effectively.

Delegating appropriately – Makes delegation decisions that take into account the size of the

task, whether an employee has the necessary background and skills to complete the task, and

the sensitivity and importance of the task; delegates tasks that are challenging but not

overwhelming; delegates tasks that develop and extend employee skills.


Monitoring – Monitors accomplishment of delegated tasks, and provides constructive, timely

feedback; provides support and assistance for goal accomplishment, and makes mistakes a

learning experience.

Supporting Others

Demonstrating positive regard – Shows acceptance and positive regard for employees;

maintains a pleasant, cheerful disposition; provides support and sympathy when others are

anxious or upset.

Counseling – Counsels and encourages employees who have motivational or performance

problems; indicates a desire to help subordinates learn from mistakes and overcome

performance problems.

Advocating – Publicly affirms the importance and value of individual and group tasks in

order to minimize the effect of budget cuts or other constraints on resources; skillfully

advocates on behalf of employees, teams and their work; works hard to increase the

prominence of employee’s or team’s work within organization.

Helping – Pitches in to help support subordinates when workload is high; minimizes

disruptions and helps employees overcome bureaucratic work obstacles; works with leaders in

other organizational units to keep work flowing smoothly.

Developing & Mentoring

Encouraging self-assessment – Helps employees identify skill deficiencies; develops

mechanisms that elicit feedback from multiple perspectives, and encourages employees to

solicit feedback from others about strengths and weaknesses; mentors employees by giving

specific, constructive feedback on how performance can be improved.

Enhancing skills on the job – Provides opportunities for skill development on the job; plans

for and seeks out developmental opportunities and stretch assignments that simultaneously

develop employees and help the organization reach its goals; when appropriate, gives

employees opportunities to mentor more junior employees.

Promoting training – Encourages employees to attend relevant training and workshops to

broaden skills; explains why training is relevant to employee’s career and works with

employees to identify training goals.

Supporting learning – Provides support and encouragement during learning process;

expresses confidence that employees will be able to learn a new procedure or skill.


Preparing for the future – Anticipates future changes in work tasks due to changing

economic and/or political climates and provides employees with developmental opportunities

that prepare them for these changes.

Identifying career issues – Provides career advice; helps employees identify career problems

including lack of advancement, interpersonal conflicts and burnout; helps employees identify

career paths and promotion opportunities in the organization.

Motivating & Inspiring

Generating enthusiasm – Generates enthusiasm for task objectives and team

accomplishment through standard and creative influence techniques; focuses team effort and

enthusiasm on goal attainment; secures behavioral commitment of team members for goal

attainment.

Recognizing – Recognizes contributions and achievements of all types, among people in

high and low visibility jobs alike; actively searches for contributions to recognize; recognizes

improvements in performance as well as commendable efforts that failed.

Rewarding – Rewards employees for high performance; takes the time to determine what is

rewarding for individual employees, and fairly and objectively dispenses rewards based on

performance indicators that reflect a person’s effort and competence.

Setting an example – Sets an example for others by acting in ways that are consistent with

organizational goals and objectives; confronts behavior that undermines the reputation of the

organization.

Developing an Organizational Vision

Developing a vision – Develops a strategic vision for the future of the organization or unit.

Generating excitement – Identifies fundamental values and beliefs to guide the organization

into the future; generates excitement, enthusiasm and commitment for the vision.

Gaining commitment – Skillfully gains commitment to make organizational vision a reality;

creates a belief that vision can be achieved.

Inspiring others – Embodies organizational vision and demonstrates conviction in vision in

order to inspire others.

Strategic Planning/Action

Establishing objectives – Establishes long-range objectives and specifies the strategies and

actions necessary to achieve those objectives; identifies the most probable short and long-term


consequences of implementing various strategies; strategically analyzes the risks, benefits and

opportunities of various strategies.

Implementing strategies – Confidently implements chosen strategies, despite difficulty and

resistance from others; collaborates across organizational units to ensure buy-in and follow-

through on strategies; skillfully obtains commitment from affected parties to transform

strategic vision into reality.

Capitalizing on alliances – Recognizes alliances, either internal or external to the

organization, that are complementary and benefit the competitive position of multiple parties;

strategically shifts orientation to capitalize on these alliances.

Recognizing and dealing with obstacles – Comprehensively considers a wide range of

problems that could affect the entire work unit; strategically identifies ways to address or

capitalize on these problems.

Identifying emerging trends – Identifies emerging trends and forms strategic plans to address

them.

Networking

Building relationships – Seeks opportunities to make contacts and build relationships,

including through organizational events, social events, external organizations, and

professional activities.

Partnering – Establishes strong and lasting partnerships with business contacts; proactively

seeks ways of increasing business opportunities with contacts; skillfully influences and

negotiates with partners to create opportunities that increase the competitive position of both

parties.

Leveraging contacts – Leverages contacts to obtain information relevant to the health and

continued growth of the organization, including enhanced perspectives and feedback on

organizational performance.

Entrepreneurship

Thinking innovatively – Constantly searches for new ways of improving existing processes

and doing things more efficiently; strives to understand what is missing from current product

stream, and searches for new ideas for product improvement everywhere; attempts to address

product gaps and build the business by creating innovative and unique solutions.

Influencing decision makers – Knows which organizational leaders to influence to win

support for new ideas and skillfully persuades key decision makers to invest appropriate


resources to transform new ideas into reality; woos venture capitalists, and other extra-

organizational constituents to seek financial support for new ideas.

Encouraging entrepreneurial activity – Encourages innovation and entrepreneurial activity

in team members; challenges teams to take calculated risks for innovation, and ensures teams

have time to pursue their ideas for new and improved products or processes; holds regular

team meetings to solicit bold new ideas.

Championing great ideas – Advances and promotes the best ideas, even in the face of

organizational resistance; shields the team from bureaucratic processes that interfere with an

innovative climate, and works to change processes that interfere with growth and innovation.

Rewarding innovation – Recognizes the contributions of those who have enabled positive

change, and gives appropriate rewards for extraordinary achievements.

Building Blocks for Competency Models

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